dodos and daddies

Forget visions of MTV personalities. And Letterman. Even 9-11 heroes. We're 15 minutes into tonight's episode of AI, and I've already learned the "ultimate New Yorker" is Ian Benardo. Maybe just because he prefaced his audition with champion slam that included a bold "Carrie under where?"
With a failed "So You Think You Can Dance" audition under his (chinchilla) belt, he boasted an "already long impressive resume" and, in telling judges why he should be the next Idol he proudly vowed, "You can asked one of my therapists."
Still, he managed to botch his take on "Gloria," and -- for perhaps the first time this season -- I was confident to say Paula wasn't the only one hearing voices in her head.
Ian and all his fabulousness was canned, but we got some of the most priceless retorts of the season. My favorite was when the chinchilla-clad diva eyed the judgment room and said, "The dodo bird is not extinct. It's in there."
And I thought bush babies were the only non-human creatures allowed on AI.
After Ian, we got Ohio's 19-year-old Sarah, who lied to her parents to try out. Once I got past the fact that she probably once shared rhinoplasty tales with Michael Jackson, I started to like her...even in spite of her repeated insistence that she never lives up to her father's expectations.
Skipping town to hang out with the likes of Ryan Seacrest, I'm sure, does a lot to help that situation.
Nonethless, her version of "Call Me" was enough to make it to Hollywood...and we even got to watch a very rehearsed call to her dad confessing that she lied, but she's en route to the next round.
It went well, but even if things fell through, I wouldn't be concerned. With this season's prevalence of Taylor Hicks look-alikes, she'd have no difficulty finding a father figure.